Kawaii Kon 2016 Approved Panels List

Panels Galore!

Kawaii Kon has over 200 hours of programming for the 3 day weekend! From cosplay panels to steampunk there is something for everyone!

Below you can find a full list of approved panels for Kawaii Kon 2016. This list may be subject to change. Just click the name in order to see the full description of the panel. Guest panels and events run by Kawaii Kon (butishake, speed dating, cosplay contest etc.) will be added at a later date.

If you received an approval but don’t see your panel listed, please check your email to make sure you responded to the approval. If you have any questions, please email us at events@kawaiikon.com.

Learn from those in the animation field how they traversed the gap in media when they took an animated series pitch and turned it into a monthly graphic novel. Honolulu TV commercial producer/animator Gary Turner, and from Michigan, concept designer Mel Bontrager are creators on the exciting new series “I, Mage” from Action Lab Entertainment. They’ll be demonstrating the challenges and sharing how they achieved their successes.

What is Aniplex of America, you ask? We are the company that brought countless hit anime titles like Sword Art Online, KILL la KILL, Madoka Magica, Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], ALDNOAH.ZERO, DURARARA!!X2, Your Lie in April and many more to the fans in North America! Join us to hear more about all the amazing things we have planned for you in 2016. Come for the cool trailers, some awesome news and even shiny prizes!

Ever wanted to make your own Amigurumi doll? Or loom knit a simple hat based on your favorite anime, video game or movie? Want to make a simple dish cloth with a Pokemon twist? In this panel, you will be introduced to some basic techniques in crocheting and knitting, and the tools used to create your own very custom dolls, scarves, hats and whatever your imagination can come up with! This panel is for all ages, wanting to learn a new craft.

New to cosplaying? Want to learn some of the ropes to begin down the road of cosplaying? Come to this interactive panel, where we’ll talk about wigs, props, cosplays, make-up, and any questions you have!

What do Noragami, Naruto, and Death Note have in common with the Bible? Anime has several savior figures that resemble Jesus, and it’s more apparent then you might think. Learn how to appreciate anime more by discovering how themes of redemption, sacrifice, and dedication are used in all kind of story telling, even the Bible!

It’s been decided that Nao is by far the most entertaining and comedic when allowed a hour to ramble on about hot guys, yaoi, otome, seiyuus, cosplay, and other Fujoshi necessities in life as hosted by Kumo.

People have talked about things like Pepakura, but we’ll show you what it is, and how to use it! Plus, we’ll explain how to use other materials, such as resin, Bondo, rondo, foam, contact cement, and where to get your supplies!

A conversation on body image and confidence. How cosplayers can stay positive in the community when faced with negative people or negative comments on social media. This panel will cover cosplay for all, regardless of age, gender, skin color, body type/size, and etc.

Cosplay Cafe Hawaii presents to you how to be maids and butlers! We’ll have a mini training session and you’ll get to meet the Cosplay Cafe Hawaii group as they perform talk about their experiences at C2 Hawaii! A mini presentation by Rei, the Head of Staff from C2 Hawaii, about the culture of Maid/Butler/Cosplay Cafes in Japan and America!

Commercial lifestyle photographer and eternal geek Dallas Nagata White uses her experience in fashion photography and painting to take her cosplay photos to the next level. During this panel, Dallas will go over her process for doing cosplay shoots, from planning to post-production, and then be available for any and all questions about cosplay photography.

Cosplayers will strike a pose for you to draw. Poses will last 1 min, 5 min, and 10 minutes. You can join the fun by drawing or if you are in costume, posing. Artists will demo and provide tips as needed. Paper and pencils will be available but feel free to bring your quiver of art supplies.

Did you love our Hetalia panel last year? Well Cosplaytalia is back and bringing those nations you know and love, dressed up as characters from your other favorite fandoms! If you have an inner fangirl (or fanboy) than this special Hetalia Q&A is a must to see!

Looking for something new to watch this season? Want to hear about the hottest new anime from Japan? Then this is the panel for you! Join Crunchyroll as they highlight some of the latest anime hitting this simulcast season.

Follow up to 2015’s Fanfiction 101! What are the first steps to writing a story? How to make it the best it can be? What to do with it once you’ve written it? We’ll have a practical plotting session and a Q & A. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Join FUNimation staff as we take a look at some of our personal favorites from current anime and past classics. What’s your FUNimation favorite? Share it with us using the hashtag #FUNimationFave and you could win a prize!

From Akira to Dragon Ball Z, hear the latest news, info, and announcements from North America’s largest anime distributor: FUNimation. Live tweet with us using the hashtag #FUNimationPanel for a chance to win prizes!

Take a look at the latest in streaming anime on FUNimation.com. Watch nearly endless episodes of your favorite series, both subbed and dubbed, via apps on PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, Android and more! Tweet using the hashtag #FUNimationOnline for a chance to win prizes!

Guaranteed to be a good time that’s oh so NSFW. Watch jiggly clips and trailers from some of the hottest FUNimation titles. Don’t forget to bring tissues, you know, for the nose bleeds. Audience participation encouraged by tweeting using the hashtag #FUNimationPeepShow. You could even win some naughty prizes. (18+, Bring your IDs!)

Interested in finding like minded fans of The Loony Toons, Disney, and other 90s animal cartoons?

Look no further, in Furry 101 we’ll explain to you what being a fan of anthropomorphic animals is about~! From fursonas to artwork, to fursuits and furcons, we’ll make sure you have a furtastic time. :3

Informational panel on how to successfully live and study in Japan. Learn tips and tricks on how to get started, what to do when you get to Japan, and beyond! Find out how to realize your dreams of living in Japan.

Do you think you know your favorite anime characters and everything that they would say? Can you prove the knowledge you know is stupider than others? Come and show how much you know about animes where you will have to guess who said that quote. Think you can be the superior or just want to watch, come to prove your fangirl or boy inside knows their anime whether or not you want to show it off.

Yaoi, its infamous in the anime world but where did it come from? What are the origins of this boy love world? Why are fangirls so obsessed with it? ‘Who knows?’ isn’t a answer we accept and we hope you don’t ether.

Have you heard of reverse harems? Or perhaps Otome? Or maybe hot men and romance just interest you? Then this is the panel for you, we’re bringing you the latest info on otome gaming/anime news from the success story of Voltage inc to latest otome games out of Japan to the indie games. Somehow, I will find a way to squeeze even more hot men then last year.

Did you know that manga like One Piece or Dragon Ball have sold over 100 million copies? Manga is the mainstream in Japan, and anime is also common and prevalent in Japan. Learn the basics of how a popular manga is made, and the link between manga and anime, and some basics of Japanese manga/anime world.

Cosplaying is hard already, with planning, material gathering and finding good reference photos. Now imagine those 3 months of choosing your costume, getting materials and making it, crammed into just 90 minutes! Think you have the energy, the fortitude, nay the creativeness to compete in a competition with cosplayers of varying experiences to have a completed costume to strut in front of everyone? And like Iron Chef, you won’t know exactly the materials you get to work with, until the start of the event!

This panel combines the old days of read along books and the ever constant love of manga! Join us as we read chapters from some of our favorite mangas. Of course as the title implies; it’ll be a little wacky with the voice parts.

Have you ever been interested in LARPing, but got confused about the magic role play?, Ever needed an outlet to let off steam, stress, etc… from school, work, life, etc…?, Need a casual physical activity that is light, heavy, long, or short that is fun. Well Manoa Medieval Combat Club at the University of Hawaii is the activity you are looking for. We hold practices and events on campus which is easy to find and attend. Join us for this introductory panel in to the world of Boffering. participants must sign liability waiver, before starting activity. waivers will be available at the panel.

Representations of superheroes have been produced and viewed as some of the most important works in history of visual art and culture all over the world. This panel aims to promote competence through visual literacy while examining selected images of superheroes from Japanese manga and anime. It aims to reveal their socio-political and economic, as well as religio-cultural and historical backgrounds of production and reception. In addition, this panel brings out the emergence of the female superhero (heroine?) genre since 1970’s that encompasses contesting values of gender. It demonstrates how the genre’s empowerment fantasy has developed symbolically over traditional gender norms in society.

Many attendees are interested in Japanese culture want to know how they can live in Japan. This panel is a good opportunity for people to learn about how they can live in Japan and have a very decent paying job and gain amazing experiences. Here you can learn about the process to apply for jobs, learn about live in Japan for foreigners, and some of the great things to experience in Japan.

OBJECTION! Ever wanted to join the fun courtroom antics in the world of Ace Attorney? Now’s your chance to be apart of a mock trial, “Wrightful” Truth or “Edgey” Dare, and much more here in the Aces of Attorneys panel! TAKE THAT!.

Anime fans are often J-pop (Japanese pop) and K-pop (Korean pop) fans so learn about these fascinating music worlds from a fun academic point of view. We will cover the genres of J-pop and K-pop, along with the popular groups, and the role of entertaiment agencies in creating these groups.

From the host of the mega-popular Anime Family Feud comes a brand new game show experience! Watch as a local musician tries his hand at winning a metric ton of cash and prizes! (Little does he know that some of the questions are going to be just a liiiiittle suspicious)

Do you find yourself desperately wanting to cosplay, but the prices are just too overwhelming? Do you cosplay, but find yourself breaking the bank just for the essentials? We will show you the ins and outs of cosplaying on a budget, as well as tips and tricks to making a spectacular cosplay

Use anime to understand Japanese youth today, and their concerns. This panel will show you how anime reflects the concerns of youth of the time. We will look at anime after the collapse of the Japanese economic bubble, to show what Japanese youth had to face, whether in school or in looking for work.

Welcome to Anteiku, where various people from the 21 wards of Tokyo gather to answer questions from the audience and entertain them with various reactions from favorite Tokyo Ghoul characters such as Kaneki, Touka, and Rize! Watch characters and the audience go against each during a difficult battle of Wii Tennis and more~

Want to know what it’s like working in the anime industry? Have questions for people who work in the anime industry? Then this is the panel for you! Join Crunchyroll and possible other industry reps as they discuss what it is like working in the crazy world of anime.